Various devices and methods are known for the dispersion of one material into another at the time of use within a self-contained container (e.g., cold compress packs). Multi-part containers of this type are useful for the separate storage of ingredients or materials for a variety of products, where at least one ingredient can be stored separately for a period of time, and when admixed with a second material within another part of the container, will produce a desired mixture. The materials must generally be maintained separately until shortly before use to avoid a propensity to degrade in quality over a relatively short period of time, or to permit the safe shipment and storage of one material and subsequent addition of the second material and safe mixing. Once such example is the shipment and/or storage of 2-cycle oil in a container compartment, and subsequent addition of gasoline into a second compartment before the compartments are opened relative to one another for mixing and then use in a 2-cycle engine.
Where such mixtures are consumables, they are generally stored and sold in an isolated format and the components of the mixture remain segregated during storage and then are mixed just before use. Mixture at the time of use is beneficial because the combined solution fails to retain its initially mixed qualities over time. Such products usually, but not necessarily, comprise at least one ingredient and at least one additional ingredient which may be in the form of a liquid, dry granules or powder.
One example of a product is a protein-based beverage, where the protein-containing component is produced and stored separate from a beverage component and the two are mixed just prior to the time of consumption. Given the desirability of mixing beverage components or other foodstuffs just prior to use the disclosed embodiment provides a package for separately storing components in a single package, where the components may be stored in an integrated compartment(s) or packet(s), one of which may be ruptured or otherwise opened by applying a force to a removable or frangible seal to permit the components therein to mix just prior to consumption. This type of container is advantageous since it facilitates the shipment, storage and sale of such products as discrete ingredients, extending shelf life of the product, as well as effectiveness by avoiding premature mixing. Moreover, having the components in separate compartments of a single flexible pouch permits the pouch to serve as both a mixing and dispensing container, thereby assuring admixture of the materials in the proper proportions while eliminating the potential of unintended mixing or spoilage.
The embodiments disclosed provide a beverage pouch that internally stores and then mixes an additive, such as a flavoring agent, seasoning, alcohol, medication or some other beverage enhancing ingredient into an associated material. However, the disclosed containers can also be used for all kinds of food packaging including liquids (e.g., beverages, salad dressings, sauces or similar food enhancements, etc.) and semiliquid products (e.g., yogurt, cereal, ice cream, etc.).
It is further contemplated that tearing or pealing back of a sealing member of the inner packet, and intermixing of the two components, may be initiated by applying force(s) with the hands or other mechanical means at different portions of the exterior of the container. Various embodiments may be used for applying a force to the package, to cause the rupture of a seal or separation between the components. One particular embodiment employs one or more handles operatively associated with the container to both apply the force necessary to rupture or unseal at least one of the compartments, where the handles may further be used to carry the container before and/or after the components have been mixed. Yet other alternative embodiments employ various spouts, fitments and the like as apertures to facilitate use of the container for various applications as will be described in further detail herein.
Multi-compartment containers or packs are known for use with instant hot/cold packets, preparation of amalgams in dentistry, reconstituting infusion medicine and chemi-luminescent devices. Notably there are few, if any, offerings of multi-compartment packages within the food and beverage or consumable market, presumably due to the inability to economically construct and fill packaging that would satisfy the criteria for mixing components only at or just prior to the time of use. The apparent difficulty centers around a requirement to maintain an impervious separation of the components until a time when the consumer wishes to combine the components in a mixture. In order to overcome this limitation the disclosed embodiments provide a package that includes an inner compartment or packet, whereby an applied pressure releases the contents of the packet for mixture with the surrounding material contained within the pouch.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,047 for a thermal pack, a heat seal may be arranged to allow an interior packet to burst in response to an externally applied force by squeezing the contents of the partitioned pouch. However, this force also has the potential of rupturing the outer pouch and thereby allowing the contents to leak out. Thus, the very nature of a squeezing-dependent rupture concept, when applied to a pouch that also has a peripheral heat seal that forms the container, must be controlled in order to have reliable inner packet rupture along with a burst resistant outer pouch.
Disclosed in embodiments herein is a multi-compartment, flexible container, comprising: a first compartment suitable for receiving a material therein prior to being completely sealed; a second compartment suitable for receiving a material therein, wherein at least a portion of the second compartment is adjacent the first compartment (sharing a common border), wherein an adjacent portion of the container between the first and second compartments includes a separable (including peelable, frangible, partable) seal to prevent intermixing between the first and second compartments; and at least two external tabs (ears, handles, etc.) operatively associated with the container, said tabs being suitable for applying an opposing force to the seal and separating the seal (without applying internal or excess pressure in either compartment), wherein at least one of said external tabs also serving as a handle suitable for carrying the container
Also disclosed herein is a method of preparing a multi-compartment container, comprising: orienting at least a top and a bottom layer of flexible material in a coplanar fashion; adhering the top and bottom layers to one another to create a first compartment suitable for receiving a material therein prior to being completely sealed; adhering the top and bottom layers to one another to create a second compartment suitable for receiving a material therein, wherein at least a portion of the second compartment is adjacent a portion of the first compartment and where the adjacent portion includes a continuous yet separable seal between the adjacent portions of the compartments; and providing external handles, operatively associated with at least the outer surfaces of the top and bottom layers, said handle suitable for carrying the container as well as applying a sufficient opposing force to at least a region of the separable seal to separate the seal along the adjacent portions of the first and second compartments.
Another embodiment disclosed herein is a multi-compartment, container, comprising: a first compartment suitable for receiving a material therein prior to being completely sealed; a second compartment suitable for receiving a material therein, wherein at least a portion of the second compartment is adjacent the first compartment, wherein an adjacent portion of the container between the first and second compartments includes a separable seal to prevent intermixing between the first and second compartments; a third compartment, substantially enclosed within at least one of said first compartment and said second compartment, wherein said third compartment is operatively connected to an anchor point on said container, wherein a force applied to said anchor point causes the opening of the third compartment; and at least two external tabs operatively associated with the container, said tabs being suitable for applying an opposing force to the seal and separating the seal.
Further disclosed herein is a multi-compartment container, comprising: an outer flexible pouch formed from a flexible, liquid-impervious material; an inner packet, substantially enclosed within said outer flexible pouch, wherein said inner packet contains at least one substance for mixing with a material contained within the outer flexible pouch; and said inner packet being operatively connected (by a tether or tab) to an anchor point on said outer flexible pouch, wherein a force applied to said anchor point causes the opening of the inner packet and thereby permits mixing of the substance in the inner packet with the material in the outer flexible pouch without direct access to the inner packet.
Yet another embodiment disclosed herein is a method for use of a multi-compartment container, said container comprising an outer flexible pouch having a first material therein along with an inner packet having a second material stored within said packet, said inner packet having a sealable opening therein, and a link between a surface of said inner packet and a surface of said outer pouch, said link covering the sealable opening of the inner packet, said method of use including: storing a first material in the outer flexible pouch; storing a second material in the inner packet; and applying a force to a surface of the outer pouch to create a tensile force along at least a portion of the surface of the inner packet, said tensile force being of sufficient magnitude to cause the peeling of the link away from the inner packet to expose the opening therein and enabling a combination of the second material with the first material, the combination being retained within the outer pouch.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the disclosed containers and methods will be evident from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, wherein the examples of the presently preferred embodiments are given for the purposes of disclosure.
The various embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the disclosure to those embodiments described. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.